Tokyo Olympic Qualifying Tournament begins with Polish win vs. Angola / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: FIBA.com Credit FIBA.com

FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kaunas, Lithuania, kicked off with Poland (1-0) and Angola (0-1) matchup. The Polish team secured an 83-64 (24-19; 19-12; 19-14; 21-19) win.

Player of the Game EFF 21 A.J. Slaughter Points 16 Accuracy 6-11 Rebounds 4 Assists 6

Poland won the first quarter 24-19 and didn’t look back. They proceeded to win the remaining quarters as well. Angola led only once during the entire game (17-18).

Angola did cut the deficit to 11 in the fourth quarter (64-53), but that was not enough.

Mateusz Ponitka scored a team-high 22 points, A.J. Laughter added 16, Aleksander Balcerowski - 14 points.

For Angola, the leading scorer was Yanick Moreira, with 27 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Edson Ndoniema scored 11, but no other player from the African team cracked double-digits.

Angola will play their next game on Wednesday (16:30 EEST). Poland will have a longer break and will play on Thursday (16:30 EEST).

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